Page 5 - ELG1601 Feb Issue 433

ELsummer special
February 2016 Page 5

East Asia leads across the board

ver 27,000 international
students attended the
OIndependent Schools
Council’s (ISC) 1,267 mostly
private-sector year-round Matt Salusbury looks at the results of the Independent Schools Council’s 2015 census and
boarding schools in the UK
last year. Its 2015 census cov- finds that over a third of overseas students boarding in the UK are from China and Hong Kong
ered schools in ISC’s affiliate
member associations across the
UK, although the overwhelm- are now over 2,700 of these. US, but with children of Rus- Nationality of non-British boarders with parents living overseas
ing majority of schools in the The census lumps all EEA sian and Indian expatriates also (specific countries only)
survey are in England, with a countries (EU plus Switzerland, well represented. (It should be
cluster of ISC boarding schools Norway, Luxembourg) together, noted, though, that around a China: 5,683 (20.9%)
in south-east England. with the exception of Spain and fifth of the schools surveyed
The majority of schools sur- Germany. ‘Remainder of Europe didn’t provide data in this Other: 6,417 (23.6%)
veyed – 616 of them – were EEA’ comes in after Germany, category.) Around four fifths
junior (primary); 231 were sen- with just over 2,000 – 7.8 per of all the UK’s 1,121 Indian
ior (secondary), and 420 were cent of the total. boarding school students have India: 151 (0.6%)
both junior and senior. Most Germany alone is in fifth parents living in the country.
international boarding-school place, sending just under 2,000 Children of Nigerian, Korean Taiwan: 160 (0.6%)
students have been in the UK for students, followed by Spain with and Japanese expatriates at UK
at least a year, and over half of over 1,200. Nigeria sent 1,660 boarding schools outnumber USA: 285 (1.0%)
them are in the final two years of boarders, putting it in seventh the children of Russian and
secondary school. place. Chinese expatriates. Japan: 341 (1.3%)
A total of 27,221 students In tenth and eleventh place are The Gazette also sent a short
at ISC year-round boarding Thailand and Malaysia. South survey to boarding schools South Korea: 409 (1.5%)
schools – just over 5 per cent of Korea sends 409 students, just that run summer courses for
the total student body of a little over 1 per cent of the overseas international students, mostly France: 427 (1.6%)
over half a million – are ‘non- total for students whose parents in general English. Of the six Hong Kong:
British pupils whose parents live remain abroad, Japan (341 stu- which responded, three said Malaysia: 646 (2.4%) 4,785 (17.6%)
overseas’. The biggest-sending dents sent) and Taiwan are split their top nationality was Span-
countries are mainland China off from ‘Remainder of Far East’ ish, one said it was German, and Thailand: 755 (2.8%)
(over 5,600 boarding school in the table. one Russian. Nigeria: 1,160 (4.3%) Russia: 2,795 (10.3%)
students, which is a fifth of all ‘Middle East’ sent just under Stonyhurst’s top three nation-
non-British with parents over- 400 students. Parents in India alities are Spanish, German Spain: 1,267 (4.7%) Source: ISC
seas) and Hong Kong with 4,700 sent 151 students to UK board- (overtaking Russian) and Ital- Germany: 1,930 (7.1%) 2015 census
students representing 17 per cent ing schools, about the same ian. The top three nationalities at
of the total non-British students. number as the rest of the sub- Heathfield Summer School for At Sherbourne International Russians as its biggest national- countries. Its courses have a
Boarder numbers from mainland continent. Girls are Spanish, Japanese and the top three were German, Rus- ity. Chinese, Italians, Nigerians maximum 10 per cent quota
China have been shooting up in In addition to international Russian. Windermere noted that sian and Japanese, while it was and Ukrainians were also well for each first language, and
recent years, while Hong Kong’s students with parents abroad, in 2015 Germany was in first Russians in first place, then represented. they reached 10 per cent Man-
are flattening out after a decline. there are nearly 17,000 ‘non- place, followed by China, then Chinese and Spanish for Con- St Edmunds College sum- darin speakers in 2015. It has
The total for Russian boarding- British pupils’ with expatriate Saudi Arabia. In 2014 Russians cord College’s general English mer courses, which include received students from Bulgaria
school students sent to the UK has parents living in the UK, most and Colombians were in second course. Concord’s academic Shakespeare, creative writing and Serbia every summer for
been increasing since 2011. There from other EU countries or the and third place. English summer course had and Ielts, recruit from forty many years. n